Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak announced yesterday that Macau’s police forces recorded a total of 9,653 crimes from January to September, representing a 31.7 percent increase compared to the same period of last year. However, it is still 8.9 percent lower than in the same nine-month period in pre-pandemic 2019.

Wong further pointed out that since the resumption of normal cross-border travel in Macau and the surrounding areas earlier this year, there has been a rapid increase in the number of visitors. This has contributed to Macau’s gradual economic recovery and resulted in significant changes in various factors affecting public security, Wong said, adding that the situation has become similar to the pre-pandemic conditions.

Surge in telecom fraud, cyberattacks

Wong underlined that telecommunications fraud grew significantly, becoming the fastest-growing type of crime in Macau. From January to September, cases of fraud and blackmail instances in telecommunications scams have continued to increase, he noted. Specifically, according to Wong, there were 170 cases of telephone scams involving impersonation of government officials, 135 cases of ticket scams related to online sales of concert tickets and other events, and 223 cases of computer fraud related to online credit card transactions. Wong noted that these fraud cases had seen a considerable increase compared to both last year’s first three quarters and the same period in pre-pandemic 2019, while the Judiciary Police (PJ) busted 67 cases related to telecom fraud gangs.

From January to September, according to Wong, a total of 505 telecom fraud cases were prevented by the police, involving over 110 million patacas. In terms of prevention, Wong noted that the police constantly update their awareness campaigns to address the latest techniques employed in fraud cases, focusing particularly on explaining the newest methods to the general public, such as AI face-swapping and synthetic voice technology, which have been observed in neighbouring regions but have not yet emerged in Macau.

Meanwhile, Wong announced a significant rise in cyberattacks targeting Macau in recent years. The average daily attacks surged from 1,850 in 2020 to 5,500 last year, and further increased to 5,800 per day from January to September this year, he said.

To address the issue, the Cybersecurity Incident Alert and Response Centre (CARIC) operates round the clock, detecting and promptly notifying relevant personnel about network attacks, Wong noted. 

Police mull criminalising illegal currency exchange activities

Regarding illegal currency exchange activities, Wong noted that there was a significant increase in intercepted individuals involved in such activities, with a total of 9,633 cases from January to September, marking a 2.3-fold increase compared to the previous year. Out of these cases, information on 1,013 individuals has been reported to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) with a view to imposing entry bans into gaming venues for the individuals concerned. Additionally, the number of fraud cases related to illegal currency exchange activities rose to 137 cases in the first three quarters, surpassing the previous year’s total of 108 cases.

Wong said that the Judiciary Police (PJ) have submitted recommendations to the relevant entities regarding the feasibility of criminalising illegal currency exchange activities. He noted that the objective is to increase the deterrent effect and enhance the efficiency of law enforcement. 

Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak looks on during yesterday’s press conference about Macau’s 2023 first-three-quarters crime statistics, at the S. Francisco Barracks. – Photo: MPDG